Rules for Submitted Photographs:
- Photos MUST be clear enough to ID from. More than one photo of that insect may be required in order to ID it. Err on the side of taking too many photos (to choose from later) than not enough.
- Photos may be taken in the field. Be aware that insects move and that taking pictures of a moving insect with a macro lens requires patience.
- Photos may be taken from collected insects (much easier to take good photos from):
- Live (you can use a cage/enclosure of some sort. Be sure no distortion occurs (i.e. from round glass from a glass jar)
- Live, but slowed down by placing in a refrigerator for cool down.
- Dead (you can freeze insects and then arrange and photograph them while they are still ‘flexible’. Insects that are dead and dry are fragile and break easily. Pictures of insect bits will not be accepted.
- Pinned/preserved – Traditionally, adult (and some immatures) have been pinned. There is a convention for pinning insects that must be followed. Pinned insects can survive for decades. Pinned insects are relatively easy to photograph.
Please identify your submitted photographs with your name and year in the bottom right hand corner (a watermark would be ideal). All photographs will become the property of the University of Saskatchewan and may be used as teaching material in the future. However, your name will remain on it.
Examples:
Here are three examples of photographs of live aphids. The first example is very good and would get full marks. The second example and third examples are poor and would receive a correspondingly poor mark if submitted.
Example A:
Nice and clear. I can tell it’s an aphid and it shows aphid characteristics.
Example B:
Not clear. Hard to see. I can tell it’s an aphid, but just.
Example C:
The photo is nice and clear, but the insect is too small. I can’t confirm that this is an aphid.
